Carpel tunnel

[olive2709]

My 40year old daughter just had tests for this to be told that after 4month's in splints she has not got this any one any ideas were we can turn for information her pain levels are very high iam worred about her mental state she already deals with thyroid that does not work and under hospital with a form of IBS

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It might be a good idea to let her GP know how desperate she is. Maybe s/he does know, maybe you assume that they know but they haven't really understood, maybe they need to hear it louder and clearer than before. In any case it sounds as if your daughter needs to have a plan of action and the GP is the one who should be racking his or her brain for where to turn next. Is it possible for you to accompany her to see her GP, having agreed beforehand what she wants and needs to say?

It could be that your daughter needs some help from a counsellor. Again, there's no shame in laying that on the line with the GP or perhaps with the consultant she sees for her IBS. Chronic illness is often linked to depression so the doctors who deal with such diseases are often aware of the need to look out for patients' mental state too. From what you say you are very worried about her but as she's a mature woman I guess your main way forward is to convince her that help will be available but also that she may have to be quite assertive and definite to get that help.

The fact that you've posted on this Rheumatoid Arthritis forum suggests you are worried that she may have RA or some other sort of inflammatory arthritis. The way to proceed with checking that out is to ask for blood tests in the first instance, though they can only give clues, not confirmation. Does she have any swelling or pain in joints apart from the wrist? It sounds as if she's having a tough time and I feel for you both. Hard as it is, you are most likely to be helpful to her if you can keep calm and try to nudge her towards taking practical steps forward. If she does have any other symptoms apart from the wrist pain it would be good to get them written down ready to talk to the GP about them.

[MColc]

Hi I was diagnosed with a very underactive thryroid in Jan and although the meds are "at the right level" I have been suffering debilitating joint and muscle pain in wrists, knees, fingers and elbows. The doctors ran tests and put me onto anti inflammatory drugs and these relieved some of the pain but I have had to go back. I recently had a consultant appt at the RA section of our hospital and the results for RA were negative but the consultant had said she was 95% sure that it was RA. However, I now have a diagnosis of MIxed Connective Tissue Disease - and I am going to be treated. I would recommend your daughter asks for this test as it is a less common condition but the symptoms mimic other diseases. You can google it and see if it is similiar. Good Luck.

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Hi there

If the doc says it's not carpal tunnel then I would suggest your daughter ho back to her gp and ask them to find out what it is. They can't just leaver her too it but unfortunately with the cuts in the NHS those that shout loudest get the care!

[nomoreheels]

I would have thought as you have GCA her doctor, assuming he knows there's a family history of rheumatoid, would have questioned a possible connection & had bloods taken to see if it's possible she has another autoimmune condition. I guess with you asking the question on our site they're your suspicions too.

It could also point to autoimmunity with having thyroid problems & IBS so really she should be seeing him, even if the nerve conduction test has confirmed carpal tunnel isn't the cause of her pain, there may be some form of inflammation that hasn't been detected. It may be a good idea to talk about going with her as people with high pain thresholds often shrug off symptoms as nothing they can't cope with when in fact they're things that need attention & medication to prevent problems. It might be a good idea for her to think if anything else is aching or hurting that she's dismissing, stiffness in a morning or even slight swelling could indicate that there's something amiss, write it down & take it with her when she sees her GP. It also might be useful to scan through this nras.org.uk, she might recognise some of the symptoms we have.

I hope that her GP recognises a likely family connection & at the very least has bloods taken to see if there is indeed any underlying inflammation & if there is refer her to Rheumatology.

Do let us know what happens.

[earthwitch]

Has she seen a rheumatologist? or a neurosurgeon (not a neurologist though, as they really just deal with brain and spinal cord stuff, not trapped nerves)? Might be worth asking the GP what kind of specialist would be best to sort it all out. The combination of thyroid and gut problems would definitely be making me wonder whether it was actually inflammatory bowel disease rather than IBS, and if it was inflammatory bowel disease, then you'd have to wonder whether the "carpal tunnel" was actually the result of spondyloarthritis (either enthesitis in shoulder, neck or elbow that is compressing the nerve, or spinal inflammation doing he same thing.) -spondyloarthritis (either Ankylosing spondylitis or enteropathic arthritis) is incredibly common alongside IBD.

[olive2709]

Thanks to all of you for your input ,it reinforced what was going through my mind .I am very new to this only had GCA for 7weeks still learning about how things connect .My daughter is at the hospital tomorrow for blood tests we have checked and they are the right ones in fact to quote Tony Hancock they want a armfull this will be followed by GP next week again thanks Olive

[olive2709]

Daughter has just had RA confirmed Doctor has told protein marker was 47 should only5/12 will be going to specialized unit here in telford so we just have to hold on

[nomoreheels in reply to olive2709]

Hiya Olive. I'm sorry it's been confirmed though not really surprised, from the sound of it she was heading that way. Hopefully now she'll start treatment soon & once the meds kick in will start to feel better. Do let her know though it's not a quick fix & DMARDs can take a while to do their good work though often Rheumy's do prescribe a short course of steroids or an injection to see you through to the meds taking control. In fact do let her know she's most welcome to join us on here if she wishes to have contact with people going through the same & as I mentioned before there's the NRAS website too.

I hope you're ok.

[olive2709 in reply to nomoreheels]

She is in shock ,the look in her eyes yesterday afternoon was pure fear . We are going out to our favourite tea room tomorrow afternoon just the two of us .

She works 42 hours a week her husband works shifts they have 2kids boy of 8 , girl of 12,luckily iam on the mend and we only live 500yards apart.My home runs its self with just my husband and I. She has been told by her GP that when appointments call her she is to stick out for the unit here in telford even if it means waiting a bit longer his reasons are staff there are great,and it is only a mile away .Also we are very alike give us info and we can deal

Olive

[nomoreheels in reply to olive2709]

I'm sure it's not the diagnosis anyone wants Olive but it sounds as though she'll tackle it head on given the right meds & with your help now you're on the better side. It will have been an awful lot to take in but, again, we're here if she wants a combined wealth of knowledge on all things RD!

I hope the appointment comes quickly for her first choice unit as the sooner she starts treatment the less the possible damage. Enjoy your afternoon tomorrow & have a scone with jam & clotted cream for me (because I can't until next month, with a bit of luck on my side!).